A few weeks ago, the ABC show Blackish did an episode about ‘the nod.’ If I were to go on from that sentence, I would guess a lot of people would ask ‘What is this nod that you speak of?’ Another portion of the readers, those of ‘the community,’ would probably smile, knowing full well what I’m talking about. I’ll admit that sometimes when I write, especially if it has to do with a subject like comic books, I might throw in a reference that will let others know I’m not just someone spouting opinions on a subject without knowing the subject matter.

Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. On May the 4th, there was a local reporter reading copy about the significance of that day, which for those of you wondering is unofficially Star Wars Day (May the Force be with you – May the Fourth). As reporters do, she tried to put a personal spin on the story to connect with the audience. She mentioned she was a Star Wars fan and talked about how much she loved Yoda in Star Wars. Well, Yoda was in Empire Strikes Back and subsequent films, not in Star Wars. She very specifically said he was in Star Wars Episode 4 and it wasn’t some television slip on her part. She was trying to relate, tried to prove how down she was with Star Wars and completely failed in the attempt.

When subculture trends become mainstream, there can be a conflict between the purist and the new fans. I remember the big debate at the San Diego Comic-Con a few years ago between the traditional vampire subculture and the teen angst Twilight vampire fans. Old guard fans don’t necessarily want to exclude people from joining their culture, but they don’t want the culture appropriated and exploited by people who are just there to make a buck or follow a trend. A year ago cosplay became the hot turf war. Shows like Heroes of Cosplay give what some would argue is a distorted view of cosplayers, with a tone more in keeping with reality show catfighting than the actual hard work put into creating costumes for conventions. A lot of people will watch Heroes of Cosplay and believe every cosplayer is like the ones portrayed on camera.

Obviously, it’s not smart to compare people to the broad strokes of personality edited on a reality show. The fact is a majority of people get into roleplaying costumes one time during the year on Halloween. They don’t dress up on weekends and they especially don’t spend hours or a lot of money fashioning costumes. What many see on the show will be their first and lasting impression of cosplayers. Even under the umbrella of a reality show, if they are unfamiliar with the culture many will see Heroes of Cosplay and assume all cosplayers are like the ones on the show. If you check on YouTube you will find a lot of videos of cosplayers who openly hate Heroes of Cosplay. What has to be noted is that the participants of Heroes of Cosplay have a strong internet presence with cosplayers and non-cosplayers alike. When reporters go to cover cosplayers, and I’m sure many can attest to this, how many do you think are going to interview the intricately designed Japanese manga character, or the guy who put together an interesting mash up character? In the vast majority of cases, the reporter is going to look for a sexy woman in a recognizable hero costume or trend costume like steampunk. More often than not, the sexy woman in costume is going to be a pro, either a ‘booth babe’ or someone who is in costume to promote themselves.

Good for the camera and for eyeballs to the site or the news, but not a good representation of the subculture.

When fringe culture becomes pop culture the edges are sanded off, the hood is opened and things are changed to fit a broader group of folks. It can be good to open the subculture to new fans but the clash between old and new can be bitter. I don’t claim to be the biggest Star Wars fan out there, but considering I know the difference between the Force FX lightsabers before and after Kenner took over production of them and I have some of the drives in my home network named after bounty hunters from the movie, I think I would be safe in saying I’m a little more than a casual fan. So when a reporter messes up when a character appeared in the series I’m going to be a little upset. I know the reporter didn’t take the time to research the material.

Is that silly to be that obsessive? Of course it is! I’m a fan from way back and I can have an internal conflict between wanting fandom to expand and things becoming so pop culture that the new fans have no history of what sacrifices were made to get to the point we are at now. A few weeks ago my mother visited me and she saw I had a copy of the complete Batman the Animated Series DVD. She kind of laughed and said I loved Batman since I was a little kid. She was referring to the Adam West Batman from the 60s. To my mother, that is the only Batman she knows. Watch any story on comic conventions or Batman in particular and you will either see the BANG POW effect used or the 60s Batman theme song will be used in the background in most cases. It isn’t necessarily bad that many remember the 60s series, but when that images is used over and over again, then put up against what is actually in the comics it can be a shock. Most people think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a fun movie and animated series, but fans know they started off as swearing, beer drinking turtles. If they had stayed that way, it is possible they wouldn’t have become such an international sensation.

That is the dilemma faced when you have the fan going up against the mass market. Just by sheer numbers the mass market will win. The mass market will change the core product. The question is can new fans fully respect the groundwork laid out? They can and probably many do, but I would argue a significant number think of pop culture as a fad, a disposable product. They jump on something for a year or two then move on to the next big thing. What can happen is their obsession for those few years will be altered, possibly losing the unique spark that made it such a subculture favorite before pop culture overtook it. What is left is possibly a diluted and pale copy of the original which might not satisfy the original core group.

 

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Subculture vs Pop Culture - October 26, 2014
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